Love and Loss
by Crystalline Starlight
Summary: Moon Kingdom fic. Boarding school on Mercury up 'til Beryl's attack. [scouts x generals] and of course [serena x darien]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a first fanfic. Flame all you want. No clue when I'm gonna finish this, but this chapter is long! Reviews are appreciated. So is 'constructive criticism' (aka the stupid word flames).

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters.

* * *

Love and Loss

Ch 1 - First Day

* * *

"Serena!" Raye hissed. "Wake up! It's the first day of class, how can you sleep?" 

"5 more minutes, Luna," she muttered incoherently. Serena shifted slightly in her seat.

"Oh boy," Lita mumbled. "Wake her up fast! Setsuna's coming soon!"

"WAKE-UP CALL, SERENA!" Raye shouted in her ear. She didn't budge.

"Have you caused any cerebral damage?" Amy wondered. "She still has to take dance, magic, martial arts, weapon master, self-defense, gymnastics, and cosmetology. I'm predicting that she'll need her brain intact."

"Don'tcha think that's enough!" Serena screamed, looking up. "When am I supposed to sleep! I'm gonna be taking stupid classes all the time and when I DO manage to get some rest, someone always reminds me why I shouldn't be sleeping! A princess needs her beauty sleep, ya know!"

"You more than others," Darien smirked. "And that, dear princess," he said sarcastically, "is why you shouldn't stay up 'til 3 at night gossiping."

The girls all looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know we were up 'til 3 innocently talking?" Mina inquired.

"We could hear you? It's 3 at night. It's silent! Or at least, it's supposed to be. There were some rather distinguishable voices resounding though," Jedite smirked. "It's nice to know you think I'm hot, Raye."

"Ooh, you…" Raye blushed but still managed to be angry. "I"ll teach you! Mars fireball…"

"Children!" The teacher shouted as she entered the room. "I'm a little late and this is what happens?"

"Sorry Setsuna," they chanted in unison. "It won't happen again."

"Okay. Now. Let's start with a simple question. Can anyone besides Amy and Zoicite tell me what planets are currently in the Silver Alliance?" Setsuna asked.

"Earth!" Darien shouted. He grinned arrogantly since he was the first to answer.

"The Moon!" Serena retorted back, directing her answer more towards him than Sailor Pluto.

"Mercury," said Amy.

"Mars," Raye continued.

"Jupiter," Lita offered.

"Venus, of course," Mina stated.

The small class all looked at the 4 future generals.

"Uhh… Earth?" Nephlite hopefully interjected.

"Already been said," Setsuna gently reprimanded him.

"Saturn," Zoicite quietly said.

"Umm, oh yeah, Neptune," Jedite barely managed to say. He was suppressing a wide yawn.

"Uranus," Malachite seriously stated.

"Only one more. Nephlite?"

"It's not Earth now, is it?" He asked stupidly, hoping to provoke a laugh that never came.

"I'll give you a hint. It's my home planet," Sailor Pluto offered.

Nephlite looked at her blankly. "Right." He said nothing else.

"Well?" Setsuna demanded impatiently after a long pause. Serena had gone back to sleep. "The answer, Nephlite?"

"I just told you."

"No, you didn't."

"Your home planet."

"Which would be?"

Nephlite looked at her strangely. "It's your home, why are you asking me? Miss Meio, excuse me for saying so, but you probably shouldn't be teaching current events if you don't know all the planets in the Silver Alliance and have forgotten which planet you belong to."

"For people who will strongly influence the world one day, it's sad to see how little you know about your own environment," Pluto icily said. Her staff began to glow.

"Alright!" Class dismissed!" Pluto exclaimed and sighed in frustration. Since her teaching period was over, she disappeared in a swirl of maroon smoke, relieved to get away.

"That was a relatively short period," Amy commented to Zoicite as they both gathered their things.

"SERENA! GET UP! CLASS IS OVER!" Raye shouted at the sleeping form.

"What decibel was that?" Zoicite asked.

"A very high one," Amy said. They both nodded at each other and headed out the door, determined not to be late for their next class. They trusted their other friends to escort their charges safely to dancing lessons.

"Oh come on Raye, is that any way to treat a princess?" Mina dramatically asked while batting her eyelashes. "Why if you treat your Moon Princess in such a manner, I'd faint at the way you'd treat me!" With that said, Mina put the back of her hand against her forehead and pretended to swoon. However, she tripped backwards on a desk and began to fall.

"Ahh!" She screamed, until she felt someone catch her. She opened her eyes to see Malachite above her, regarding her with a strange look on his face. One of his eyebrows was arched.

She blushed, remembering what she had said about him in last night's gossip session and got up quickly. She scurried out of the classroom.

"My life is so horrible that I dream about it and it turns into a nightmare," Serena mumbled into her desk. Her face was buried in her arms. "I swear I just heard a harpy scream. Someone please do NOT tell me that harpies have now joined the Silver Alliance too." She was referring to the recent addition of many planets, including the Outer Planets and Earth, home of the 4 generals and Darien, their Prince.

"Aww, cheer up Meatball Head," Darien laughingly remarked. "At least your nightmares aren't as bad as mine. I mean, I dream about you!" He paused. "Wait, no, that came out wrong," Darien muttered then scampered out of the classroom too.

Serena looked up at Raye and Lita. "You guys, I swear I just had the scariest nightmare where Darien tells me he dreams about me. Thank Serenity that dreams on Mercury don't come true, right?"

"Actually Serena, on Mercury, dreams are usually premonitions," Lita sheepishly said. "Although that's not true in this case. You weren't having a nightmare. Darien DID say he dreamt about you. Although I'm sure that it just came out wrong."

Serena began to bang her head on her desk. "Why me, why me, why me?" She kept asking herself.

"I thought you said he had a 'delicious' face," Raye remarked, then laughed at her friend's horrified expression.

"Yeah, maybe on a stick!" Serena yelled then stomped off. "Weren't YOU the one who thought he was cute?" She threw back over her shoulder before disappearing.

"What Raye? Being disloyal now?" Jedite asked in mock offense. "I thought you liked me. Why, whatever will I do without your fiery love?"

"Oh yeah? You want fiery love! Mars fire ignite!" Raye had since transformed and began to chase Jedite out of the room, shooting flames at his back.

"No, I don't want it, I don't want it! I can do fine without your love and DEFINETELY without your fire!" They could hear him say as the two retreated down the hallway, occasionally, literally, lighting up the sides as they ran to ballroom dancing.

Lita shook her head at her friends then looked around and realized that she and Nephlite were the only ones still left in the room. She hurried out, not wanting to be alone with him. She had also said a few things at yesterday's gossip session.

* * *

"Now, tell me why ballroom dancing is necessary?" Luna asked. 

"So that you don't look stupid like Jed did when he tried to dance last fall?" Nephlite teased his friend.

"Hey! For your information, she was stupid enough to think that she kept tripping over her own feet. You would think a girl would know which limbs belonged to her," Jedite said. "I swear, some Earth girls are so ditzy they wouldn't notice if Raye set them on fire."

"Hey!" Raye interjected. "My fire is legendary! Don't insult my art or I'll set your back on fire again." She smirked. "Besides, what does that say about you, dating stupid girls like that?"

"Who said I dated them? I had to dance with them since his royal highness over there was sulking and rejected every lady that came his way," Jedite replied.

Luna sighed. She opened her mouth to begin instructing the class but was interrupted by "his royal highness's" comment.

"You would reject them too, if they looked like Pokemon gone bad," Darien mumbled.

The others looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Uhh… never mind," he said then looked away. 'Sheesh, have these people never watched Pokemon before? Where have they been?' He thought to himself.

Luna raised her voice and spoke before she could be interrupted again. "Now children! You will all need dancing partners since it's impossible to dance alone. Pair up."

"Stop calling us children," Serena mumbled. "We're kinda 14 now."

"Hah, you may be 14," Darien whispered back. "We're 17."

"It IS possible to dance alone," Jedite interrupted the hushed conversation. "Remember, Nephlite?" Jed guffawed at the memory. He had caught his love-struck friend dancing with an imaginary partner a week ago. He had no clue who Neph was daydreaming about, but he was determined to find out.

"I was practicing for this class! Practice makes perfect, haven't—" Nephlite began, blushing slightly, but was cut off by another masculine voice.

"Enough! Pair off! Now!" They turned to see a man walk into the room. "Sorry I'm late Luna. Serenity had something she needed me to take care of." Artemis bent down to kiss Luna, who blushed a crimson shade of red.

The youth all looked at each other warily, unsure of how to follow directions without embarrassing themselves.

"Since you find me hot and all, would you care to dance with me Raye, Princess of Mars?" Jedite bowed dramatically and unnecessarily low.

"Sure thing!" Raye clapped him on the back, sending him toppling to the ground. "But be warned, I'm smart enough to know which limbs belong to me. Step on me once and we'll see if you're smart enough to know whether or not I set you on fire." She had a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Jedite got up and rubbed his aching, scorched back. However, his eyes now burned with the light of competition too. "You're on." And the two walked out to the dance floor.

"Ahh, love," Mina sighed and smiled goofily at Jed and Raye. "Don't you miss it?"

"Mina, we're only 14. You talk like we're grandmas." Lita laughed at her blonde friend.

"I know, but don't you miss dancing arm-in-arm with a handsome stranger who'll hold you all night and look into your eyes and tell you that you're beautiful and he'll never leave you?" Mina gazed starry-eyed towards the heavens.

"I can't miss it if it never happened," Lita said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah Mina, I think you're confusing dreams with reality," Serena said, patting her friend on the back.

"You were doing that just last period," Lita innocently said to Serena. She shot daggers out of her eyes at the Princess of Jupiter.

Oblivious as always, Mina began humming to herself and twirled slightly. However, not being very graceful, she stumbled on her long orange dress and tripped right into Malachite.

"Oof," was her mumbled reply, buried in his chest. He looked at her amusedly, shrugged, picked her up off the floor, then carried her unceremoniously to the dance floor.

Amy and Zoicite walked off together without further prompting. Neither was keen on watching one of Serena and Darien's infamous fights.

"Oh no, I'm not dancing with him," Serena began. "No, no way, I refuse, absolutely not, no, no way, no how." She crossed her arms.

"I didn't think you'd be so opposed to me," Nephlite said, pretending that her comment was directed towards him.

"Oh no, Nephlite, you see I—" Serena began but was cut off.

"Since you're the Moon Princess, I must abide by your wishes. M'lady Lita, may I have the honor of enjoying this dance with you?" Nephlite bowed slightly, extending a hand.

"Uhh, but Nephlite we—" Lita said but was also cut off by Nephlite pulling her towards the dance floor. She blushed at the prospect of dancing with the brown-haired general-in-training, but felt guilty at leaving Serena to dance with Darien.

"Luna, there has to be another dance partner. I'm NOT dancing with him!" Serena pointed at Darien who stood looking at the scene in amusement. He wore a 'who, me?' look on his face. Serena's back was facing him so she missed all his ridiculous facial expressions. "Do you KNOW the torture he puts me through?" Darien pointed at Serena then at himself, nodding, indicating that she tortured him. "Do you know how ARROGANT he is?" Darien balled up his fists and put them on his head, mocking Serena's hairstyle. He turned up his nose and haughtily demonstrated how Serena supposedly treated him. Still pretending to be Serena, he kicked an imaginary person on the floor. Then, he pointed to himself and covered his head with his arms, representing his meager defense in her haughtiness and arrogance. "And dear Serenity, do you know how much he LIES!" Serena finished. Taken aback, Darien stopped in surprise, frozen in a silly pose of mocking Serena's hairstyle yet again.

Luna laughed, having viewed all of Darien's antics. "Well Princess, I'm sorry I can't help you. There's no one else available and no matter what the others say, you cannot dance with yourself."

"Aghh! Fine! Come on, baka!" Serena stomped off to the dance floor, not stopping to get Darien on her way. Darien looked over to Luna and made the cuckoo sign around his ear then followed Serena.

"They'll be great rulers someday," Luna said then smiled.

"Although I must say I feel quite sorry for their kingdom," Artemis said, also smiling yet dreading the disarray he could see clearly in his mind.

"You mean kingdoms. They're both royalty," Luna absentmindedly said.

"No, I mean kingdom," Artemis stated.

"Yes, of course you're right. Kingdom," Luna finished and they both smiled at each other.

* * *

"I don't understand why I have to have all my classes with you," Serena said, glaring at Darien. 

"Hey! Like this is any choice of mine!" He shouted back at her. "If this was up to me, I'd be back on Earth, without you!"

"Pshh, yeah, back on Earth doing what Darien? Sitting around bored while women come to admire you? Like always, ehh?" Jedite nudged his friend and Prince and grinned.

"Well, I…" Darien stopped, puzzled. "I guess there's really nothing I want to do on Earth. Isn't that kind of sad?"

"No, actually, I don't like the Moon so much either," Serena said. Everyone was surprised at her civility and rare personal comment. "It's beautiful, sure, but it is kinda boring."

Darien simply nodded, too engrossed in contemplation to argue with his favorite Meatball Head.

"Well, lighten up guys! This is one of the best classes! We get to practice on the boys," Mina evilly said. The girls all turned to look at the scared future generals.

"Should we run?" Zoicite asked worriedly.

"No, hunters only pursue their prey with more vigor if they show signs of resistance. In situations like this, you are not to show signs of struggle unless your life depends on it," Malachite stoically said.

"Our lives might depend on it," Jedite said, hiding behind Malachite's taller form. "Can we run now?"

Malachite simply shrugged, not expecting any of them to actually sprint away. However, not only did Jedite run, he also tried to find a place to hide.

"Hah! You think you can run so easily? You can run, but you can't hide!" Raye shouted, running after him. "I'll burn the whole place down if I have to! My 'fiery love' will not be stopped by physical boundaries!" As if to prove her point, fire shot out of her finger, engulfing the brush where Jedite was crouching. Invariably, he leapt out of the burning woods, scampering for some other shelter.

"Raye! You set the woods on fire!" Serena was horrified and began to panic. "Now what do we do? Oh no, oh no."

"Neptune deep submerge!" An aquamarine blast flew towards the fire, dousing it in water energy.

"Sailor Neptune!" They all cried in surprise. As if on cue, 2 sailor-clad figures dropped down from the roof.

"We'll be teaching your magic class," Neptune said with a smile.

"And try not to set the woods on fire, okay Raye?" Uranus tiredly asked. Raye just nodded, still shocked at her teachers.

"Umm, Neptune, Uranus, not that it isn't great to see you two, but why are you teaching our magic class?" Serena asked curiously.

"Well you see Princess, with all known planets currently in the Silver Alliance, there is no more enemy threat. We weren't needed to guard or patrol the outskirts of space anymore. So Queen Serenity decided to put us to use and ordered us to teach your magic class," Neptune explained.

"Yeah, ordered, or I wouldn't be here," Uranus grumbled.

"Oh, lighten up Haruka, this should be a fun experience," Neptune said lightly.

"You mean magic like spells like from Harry Potter?" Darien asked.

The others looked at him blankly.

"I guess I'm the only one who knows about anything other than Sailor Moon," he grumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Lita asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Darien said then addressed Neptune. "So if you look like that, why does she," he pointed at Serena, "look like that? Seems kinda unfair, dontcha think? You're serving an immature Princess who doesn't get enough beauty sleep."

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Uranus said. "First of all, Neptune is your teacher, you're not supposed to be talking about her that way! Second of all, Serena is OUR Moon Princess, that includes you too. She may be immature and grouchy from lack of sleep, but she's a big-hearted girl that will rule our kingdom someday. Third of all, Michiru is mine!" Uranus finished, then glared at the Earth Prince.

"Uhh… I'm sure he didn't mean lack of sleep. He meant lack of beauty," Jedite clarified for Uranus.

"Oh, did he now?" Uranus had a dangerous glint in her eyes as she pulled out her space sword.

"Darien now would be a good time to run. I'm sure your punishment won't be lessened by submission," Malachite turned and told his Prince.

"I'm not scared of her," Darien defiantly said. However, he moved back a few steps to stand next to Serena, who scooted away. He followed her and told her, "Princess, did I ever tell you how delectable your hair was? It makes me crave spaghetti and meatballs."

"You are such a jerk!" Serena screamed, then slapped him across the face.

"I like spaghetti and meatballs!" Darien shouted back, holding his stinging cheek. "It was meant to be a compliment!" 'So that Uranus doesn't kill me,' he added silently.

"Whatever, jerk wad. You're always calling me meatball head when you know I hate it," Serena said indifferently. "But okay fine, since I need someone to practice my magic on, which happens to be the most powerful out of all the girls by the way, I will accept your comment as a compliment."

"Good, now that that's settled, pair up and the girls will practice their magical powers," Uranus said.

"But what about us?" Nephlite asked. "We don't have magical powers."

"I thought that was decided long ago. You're gonna be our practice dummies," Lita declared.

"No, I'm not pairing up with Raye this time! She's dangerous," Jedite whispered, "especially when she's SUPPOSED to use her magic."

"Too bad lover boy, 'cause no one else can stand the heat of my fire," Raye said then pulled Jedite over to the side. 'That sounded so weird,' Raye thought in her head. 'I gotta make sure I never say that again.'

One look from Uranus and Jedite allowed himself to be led to his demise.

"I guess we're pairing off the same as last time," Mina said. "But Malachite, this time, could you not—" Mina was cut off when he picked her up again. "No, I like my feet on the ground!" This time, he slung her over his shoulder, not bothering to conceal his amused smile. She beat on his back with her hands. "You know, just for this, I'm gonna make my attacks extra powerful and extra sharp. I've got it in for you!"

"That's alright Princess, because when it comes to weapon master, I've got it in for you," Malachite said dangerously, still smiling. Mina stopped pounding his back and opened her eyes wide.

"You don't mean that," she said softly, so that only he could hear.

"As I'm sure you don't mean what you said," Malachite replied. He set her down on the ground then gave her his most charming smile.

"Well, let's just walk off together next time like normal people," Mina gushed. She gazed into his eyes and thought to herself, 'I don't care if he did hear me last night, he has got the most gorgeous smile!'

Malachite bowed in mock respect.

'She's lucky,' Lita thought to herself. 'He seems to like her. Nephlite, on the other hand, doesn't seem to like me too much. Everyone else has hit it off really well and it seems like we've paired up into unofficial partners for the rest of our time in training school here. But he acts like he only pairs with me because everyone else is taken,' she finished, slightly sad. She cast her eyes down to the floor. 'Maybe I should try to switch partners now, while it's still early. But who else could I pair with?' She looked around. 'There's only Zoicite, Darien, and Nephlite left. Zoi and Amy go together really well. Their usual intellectual talk would drive everyone else insane. Darien maybe...?'

"Hey Darien, I'll save you from Serena's wrath. Pair with me," Lita half-joked.

"Oh, no Lita, I have a score to settle," Serena said venomously. She then naively asked, "What's wrong with Nephlite?"

Lita blushed and stammered, "Oh, nothing, nothing's wrong. I just thought you wouldn't want to be with Darien, that's all. But that's okay. I guess I'm with Nephlite then," she finished dejectedly.

Nephlite looked at her curiously. He had observed her while she had been thinking to herself and saw the way she looked at the ground, sad eyes filled with unshed tears. 'What's wrong with her?' He asked himself. 'I didn't do anything to her yet, why does she not want to be with me? Woah, that sounded weird. Why doesn't she want to be my partner? Still weird, but a little bit better. Why doesn't she like me? Totally weird. Why is she sad at being my partner for magic class? Oh yeah, there we go.'

"Lita, come on, I promise I'll let you have as many free shots as you like," Nephlite kindly offered.

"What?" Lita asked, looking up. "No, no way. I couldn't do that to you," she added. "Besides, it's no fun training with a dummy. I have to practice with a moving target if I want to get better."

"Okay then, I promise I'll move around as much or as little as you want me to," Nephlite said. "I'll be your puppet. You can control my every move." 'That was really, really weird. Note to self: never offer to be anyone's puppet,' he reminded himself.

"Well… thanks I guess," Lita blankly said. She was shocked at how nice and gentlemanly he was. She had only known him 2 weeks. He had moved into the Mercurial training school with the scouts and Serena along with his friends. He had always seemed mysterious and moody, not talking nearly so much as Jedite, not so serious as Malachite, and not as intellectual as Zoicite. He had his moments of Jed behavior, Malachite behavior, and Zoi behavior, but for the most part, Nephlite kept to himself, often gazing into space. He treated everyone cordially, but was not particularly friendly to anyone. There were times when he and Jed joked around together. However, other than that, Nephlite remained mysteriously aloof. That was what Lita found so attractive.

Nephlite bowed and said, "My pleasure." They then walked over to the open field, joining the scouts and Serena and Darien who had since also left, bickering along the way.

* * *

"Boy am I glad they had some flame retardant pads around," Jedite said. However, his clothes were blackened and scorched lightly. "I'm gonna be shedding ashes for a week." 

"Well that's what you get for running away!" Raye shouted at him. "If you would only have stood still, maybe I wouldn't have needed to conjure such a large flame."

"There's really no logic in that," Zoicite said. "If he would only have stood still, you probably would have hurt him more."

"Yeah well, same to you," Raye retorted back apathetically.

"Raye, that makes no sense either," Amy quietly interjected.

"Jedite, you're supposed to be defending me," Raye commanded. "Why are you just standing there laughing?"

"Because it's funny," Jedite replied stupidly. A tiny part of his hair was immediately scorched. "I mean, Raye is smart and powerful and commanding and evil and sadistic," he angelically finished.

"Right," Raye added. She hadn't paid attention to what he said. She was too busy straining to look at the massive dojo that was beginning to emerge from behind the trees.

"I didn't know there were schools like this on Mercury," Lita said.

"There normally aren't, but since this is a training school for royalty and royal court, these grounds must contain all the equipment and environment we may need to fulfill our duty," Amy explained. "There's even a holographic machine for battle simulations, but I'm not sure where it is."

"Do you know how long training school lasts?" Nephlite asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think that training school is designed for individual needs. We probably won't graduate as a class, but individually, depending on how much we know," Amy said.

"I hate walking to classes though," Mina grumbled. "It takes half of forever even with a trail through the woods and these stupid trees—" She tripped over a root that seemed to raise itself in her path. Once again, Malachite caught her before she fell.

"Be careful what you say about nature Mina, some trees are sentient here," Zoicite explained. Impressed at his knowledge, Amy widened her eyes and agreed.

"You coulda told me that before I opened my big mouth," Mina complained. "And by the way, thanks Malachite, for catching me."

"It is a gentleman's duty to help damsels in distress," Malachite said. "Besides, my hunter's reflexes won't let me let you fall."

"Are you saying it's involuntary?" Mina asked incredulously. "Because all this time, I was hoping that maybe you liked me and—" She paused. "Oops. Whatever. If it is involuntary, you'll still have to catch me anyways." She then walked on, not noticing Malachite's obvious blush and nod.

"Ahh!" Serena cried. She tripped to the ground. "Hello? Where are your hunter reflexes when I need them?" She asked Malachite. He stared back at her blankly.

"I can't believe Meatball Head fell!" Darien laughed loudly. "That was priceless."

"Argh, why didn't you catch me? What happened to being a gentleman?" Serena asked, glaring at him. "Or don't they teach you manners and etiquette on Earth?"

"Sorry Meatball Head, I only have to be a gentlemen to ladies," Darien said cruelly.

"Why… are you so mean to me?" She whispered softly. Then, she began wailing, burying her face in her hands. "All I wanted was for you to like me, but since you've gotten here, all you've done is tease me! Do you know how much it hurts me to see how nice you are to everyone else? Why do you hate me so?"

"Uhh, Serena, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt your feelings," Darien said confusedly. 'She wanted me to like her? She has an odd way of showing that,' he thought to himself. "I tease you about your hair because… I really like it?" He finished and looked at his friends for some type of support. They all shrugged at him. The girls looked on amusedly at the awkward scene.

"Not only my hair, Darien, ME! You think I'm ugly, you keep saying so," Serena whispered, her face still buried in her hands.

"No of course not Serena, I don't REALLY think you're ugly," Darien said. 'Is she forgetting all the things she said about me in the ballroom?'

"Then… do you think I'm beautiful, Darien?" Serena asked hopefully. Her words were slightly muffled.

"Sure…" Darien said uncomfortably. He had never had a girl break down on him like this before. They usually tried to impress him other ways. "Now come on, Serena, let's get to class." He reached down to help her up.

She quickly grabbed his arm and flipped him backwards.

"HAH! That's what you get for being such an IDIOT!" Serena shouted triumphantly. She revealed that her face held no tear streaks and that she was a superb actress.

Everyone laughed, knowing that Darien had deserved his punishment.

'Sheesh, the girl really knows her martial arts,' Darien thought, rubbing his sore back. She had slammed him into a tree. Thankfully, it wasn't a sentient one and hadn't hit him back. 'But boy does she get on my nerves! She made me say all those things!' Darien blushed, remembering. 'I'll get her back for this. In martial arts class, I'll definitely get her back for this.'

"Well guys we finally made it to the dojo," Mina said. "And I only tripped once!"

"Serena tripped for you, Mina," Lita said, chuckling. "Maybe they are right about blondes."

"HEY!" The 4 blondes shouted at her. Jedite and Zoicite were also indignant about the remark.

"Just kidding," she said. 'Gotta watch what I say around these people,' Lita thought.

"So Nephlite, are you gonna be my partner here too?" Lita asked. Nephlite was slightly shocked at her bravery to ask such a question so forthright. It gave him no choice but to agree, although he would have voluntarily done so anyways.

"Of course. This time I promise to go easy on you," he said quite haughtily.

"Oh no, you think Lita is some kind of pushover?" Mina gaped at him. "She'll kick your butt from here back to Earth! I'll let you know that Lita is a very well trained and talented martial artist. She meditates everyday and gets up early to practice many different forms of fighting. I once caught her practicing in her nightdress. It was a very strange situation. You know how martial arts go. There are some forms and poses that just aren't meant to be done in a nightgown, if you know what I mean. So Malachite, if you even think of picking me up again, she'll defend her good friend and pound your sorry butt into the beautiful Mercurial ground!" Mina finished, completely forgetting their previous agreement.

Malachite laughed, a rare sight. He then easily picked up a kicking Mina in his arms. Try as she might, he held on to her without any difficulty whatsoever

"Lita! What happened to defending your good friend?" Mina screamed indignantly.

"What good friend?" Lita innocently asked. "You mean the one who still expects her friend to help her even though she revealed some very private information about her supposed friend in front of a bunch of guys?" She smiled angelically, clasping her hands in front of her. "Why, no, I'm sure you can't mean that friend."

Nephlite also began to laugh. 'I like her,' he thought to himself. 'Of course, only as a friend. Nothing more. Yes, I only like her as a friend. I can't be unfaithful. Even if she doesn't think we're together, I'll prove my love for her. I'll show her.' He shot a melancholy gaze towards the direction he believed Earth to be. 'I'm still waiting for you.'

Lita regarded him curiously, wondering why he suddenly stopped and stared into space. 'Maybe he misses Earth,' she thought. 'He'd be the only one, though. Everyone else, including Darien, no, especially Darien, seems to like being away from home.'

Nephlite's nostalgic mood dissipated as quickly as it had set on. "Hi, Lita," he said, smiling at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He reached up to feel the top of his head. "Did Jed put another frog on me? I remember the last time he did that. Just between you and me, I was the one who put that same frog back into his bed," Nephlite said, then winked as if they now shared an important secret.

A loud crash resounded throughout the dojo, causing everyone to look around. A muscular man had fallen down from the rafters above.

"Confounded things!" He cursed. "Wood never was strong enough. Hah! Why, I could break wood with my pinky!" He looked up, noticing the group staring at him. "Ahh, you're here!"

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Lita asked, staring at the man blankly.

"Well, they didn't know who was supposed to teach you girls martial arts," the King of Jupiter said. "Serenity's first choice was Uranus and Neptune, but she had already drafted them into teaching you magic and they weren't too keen on seeing you more than once a day. Don't be offended, they're busy too you know. Serenity's next choice was Sailor Pluto, but she wanted current events and with all that time business, she couldn't teach more than one class. Serenity then opted for Sailor Saturn, but she wanted weapon master. That scythe of hers, whoo boy lemme tell you, you don't wanna get a mile near that thing! If she got the class though, then you're gonna see her tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Yeah, I was supposed to tell you that Serenity gave you block schedule so you wouldn't come home tired out." Serena muttered some sort of praise to her mother. "So wake up alert tomorrow morning! I'd like my daughter with her limbs intact, please," the King said seriously. "So anyway, she ran out of choices and called me so here I am. Now, I wasn't too happy at first. There are lots of responsibilities that come with being King," he said pompously. Lita rolled her eyes.

"Dad, you wake up, eat a bowl of cereal, then sit around your throne room waiting for something to happen," Lita said. She turned to the rest of the group. "When nothing happens, he 'initiates' things. He gets really grumpy and he walks around, strutting like an inflated peacock." Serena giggled. "Then, he'll pick fights with whatever poor noble comes to see him next." Lita rolled her eyes again.

"Ahem, now Lita, don't portray me in such a bad light," the King said gruffly. "You know as well as I do that most of those nobles deserve it. Dagnab it, most of those young men are there to seek out your hand! What stupid fools! They should know that if they asked me, I would crush their insignificant dreams! No one's good enough for my daughter unless he redeems himself in my eyes first."

"You never give anyone the chance!" Lita told him loudly.

"Lita, if your dad doesn't let you date, how'd you get so many exes?" Mina whispered.

"Secret of the trade."

"Tell me later, okay?"

"Sure thing," Lita whispered back.

"Who are you talking to? Is that a boy? Why are you talking to a boy in my dojo?" the King demanded. "Oh Mina, it's just you. How have you been my dear? You're looking as radiant as always. And Serena and Amy are with you! Right, you're all in my class to prepare to be part of the Moon Court! Now I can keep an eye on all of you," the King chuckled.

All 5 boys began backing away slowly towards the door. The King immediately whirled around.

"Who is that that's trying to sneak out of my dojo?"

"Dad, it's not your dojo."

"It is when I teach here."

"You're so stubborn! Why aren't we learning anything? And dad, these boys, yes BOYS, are also part of your class. You're supposed to be training them too.

"Then why are they trying to leave?"

"Good question," Lita said evilly, turning to the generals and their Prince. "Oh boys! My dad wants to meet you." They looked at each other reluctantly then slowly inched towards the massive, hulking man.

"You there," the King said, pointing to Nephlite, "what is your name and how old are you and are you dating my daughter?"

"Uhh… no sir, I am not dating your daughter. My name is Nephlite and I'm 17," Nephlite mumbled.

"Bah! 17! Much too old for her! I strictly forbid you from dating my daughter!"

"But sir, I just said I wasn't dating your daughter."

"Oh, so she's not good enough for you now? Is that it?"

"No sir, I was just trying to say that—"

Lita, mad and embarrassed at her father's questions, stepped up to him and shouted in his ear. "Dad! You're embarrassing me! Why are you acting like this!"

"But dear, this is how I always act."

"Yes, at home, but now, you're a teacher and you're supposed to be teaching. So far, all we've been doing is arguing with one another," she stated.

"Too true, too true. This world is becoming such a sad place. Why, did you know that when I was younger I—" The King was cut off by a punch to the jaw from his daughter. "LITA! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY YOU PUNCHED ME!"

"Because Dad, you're not acting like a teacher and right now, I'm only interested in starting class."

The rest of the group nodded their heads enthusiastically, thanking Serenity that they had been spared one of the King's infamous 'when I was younger' speeches.

"Fine, fine. Pair off! I guess since you're teenagers, you're gonna pair off boy-girl," he grumbled. "But no touching!"

* * *

"Yes! I can go home and take a nice, long bath and then sleep!" Serena shouted for joy, skipping and dancing on the return trip. It had been a long first day for everyone. 

"Make sure you actually sleep this time," Darien smirked. "I don't want to be woken up at 3 o' clock in the morning by loud laughter coming from one of your rooms."

"Hah! You act like we don't hear what you say about us," Serena said maliciously. 'I hope they said something. I'd look so stupid if I was wrong.'

Fortunately for her, the Earth Prince blushed. Since he was embarrassed, he felt a need to redeem himself in front of his friend's eyes and once again, began to relentlessly tease Serena.

"Oh yeah? Well at least we talk some sort of politics. Your conversations are always immature and meaningless. 'Darien is so hot! I wonder if he likes me? I'd give up my royal position for one look from him!'" Darien batted his eyelashes.

"I'd give up my royal position if he would shut up and never bother me again," Serena said. "You must have heard wrong because none of us said anything like that. My other guess is you were dreaming because something like that can only happen in your wildest dreams," Serena huffed.

"It seems like Darien dreams about Serena a lot," Mina giggled. "Just earlier in current events, he already admitted to dreaming about her. But again?"

Amy and Zoicite looked quite shocked to hear the news. They looked at each other in mock horror.

"NO! I DID NOT DREAM OF THIS STUPID MEATBALL HEAD! She said I dreamt about her because she WISHES I'd dream about her!" Darien lamely argued. "Besides… her hairstyle is funny! Why would I dream about girls who try to look like bunny rabbits? That's just… lame," he finished dejectedly.

"Yeah, no one cares," Serena said over her shoulder, walking with the rest of the group who had since left Darien behind in his humiliation. His face turned a bright red. Serena couldn't tell whether he was angry or embarrassed. Frankly she didn't care. 'I just really want to go home and sleep,' she thought tiredly. Too exhausted to argue or walk anymore, she slumped to the ground. "You guys, I'm really tired. I didn't sleep at all last night and for some reason I've just been feeling really, really drained lately."

"Are you okay?" Mina asked, concerned.

"Grow up," Raye said, rolling her eyes. "We've all suffered the same fate as you." She returned to Serena who was curled up on the ground, not a care in the world. Her lips were spread in a small smile. Raye bent down to lift the princess from the grass. "Oof! Serena, you need to… lose… some… weight," Raye huffed with effort. She hastily dragged the blonde along the ground. "Okay, I give up, good night Serena." She released her hold and walked off.

"Serena, you can't sleep here," Amy said. "Be reasonable and let's return to our rooms." Zoicite nodded in agreement although Serena couldn't see. She had squinted her eyes shut together and put her hands over her ears, intent on ignoring her friends.

'Well, I guess I owe her this much,' Darien thought. He squatted on the ground and picked her up, throwing her over his back piggyback style. She still didn't open her eyes but instead wrapped her arms around his neck. 'I'm surprised she isn't suffocating me.' She squeezed tighter. 'I thought too soon. I wonder if she knows I'm carrying her? She actually looks kind of cute when she's sleeping like this. If only I could breathe, I might be able to enjoy this.'

Raye had come back to witness the strange spectacle.

"Hey Darien, why are you carrying her?" She asked curiously.

"I studied psychology back on Earth and I happen to know that when people act like Serena did back in the woods… Well, it's kinda long, see," Darien said, adjusting her on his back, "when she said all those things, I know she was acting but there was some truth in them. Otherwise she would have picked different wording. I guess I felt bad that I might actually have hurt her feelings. It's just a good thing she's asleep right? She would freak out so bad if she knew who was carrying her," he laughed.

'Says you,' Serena thought. 'Thanks Darien, I guess I do owe you one. You might not be the cold, heartless jerk wad I thought you were. I wonder if there was some truth in what I said today…? Oh well, I'm too tired to think.' Then, she nodded off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Ahh... how's that for a first attempt? LONG and POINTLESS and SLOW i know but stay with me here. It's supposed to get interesting later. 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I WAS inspired to continue the story. Thanks **renegade-452** for the review. It's nice to know someone liked it. And to explain Serena and Darien's change in attitude towards each: Have you ever had one of those dreams that change the way you feel about someone? That's why. Okay, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

* * *

Love and Loss

Ch 2

* * *

That night, Serena had an odd dream where Darien showed up on a motorcycle, dressed in a black tuxedo. He wore a matching top hat and also had a cane. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a perfect red rose, handing it to her. She blushed and took it from him, throwing her arms around him in an embrace. Together, the two walked in the Lunar Gardens. She stared in his blue eyes, entranced. 

She looked down at the single rose in her hand to find that it had turned into a full bouquet. Surprised, she looked up and noticed that the scene had changed and Darien was nowhere to be found. She was standing on a balcony overlooking the Lunar Gardens where she had been moments before. She saw her friends walking with the generals. They all looked a little older and all 4 males were now sporting the gray uniform of the Prince's Court while the females were all robed in their royal attire. Suddenly, each man snarled with red eyes and hugged each Scout in a deadly embrace. The girls fell to the ground, crushed. She gasped in horror and dropped the bouquet, hearing a thunk that signified that the bouquet was no longer a bouquet.

Serena bent down to pick up a mysterious, shining star-shaped locket that was emitting a haunting melody. A pair of shiny black shoes emerged from the shadows and a gloved hand helped her up. Once again, she was looking at Darien clad in his tuxedo outfit. He bowed and beckoned her to follow him into the ballroom behind them. She tried to tell him that her friends were in danger but he wouldn't listen to her and continued to gesture to her. He was now behind the glass door.

She gave in and followed him. Turning, she began to walk towards him but he continually moved away. No matter how far or fast she walked, the distance between them remained the same. He continued to beckon to her. She began to run, the locket still playing the eerie tune. She reached forward to grab the door handle when Darien morphed into a strange looking woman with long, red, wavy hair. She cackled sinisterly and gestured Serena to come into the room.

Terrified, Serena backed away into Darien, now dressed in a suit of dark blue and silver armor. A cape flowed behind him and a sword hung at his side. She hid behind him as he stretched out his cape and attempted to protect her from the red-haired woman. The strange woman's eyes narrowed and she blasted the door to pieces, glass showering everywhere. She revealed sinister looking versions of the Generals. They were full-fledged generals, equipped with a shield and dark energy sword. They retained stoic expressions. The woman extended a long arm and all 4 leaped forward, swords raised. Serena dropped the locket and began to run. She turned back to see Darien battling for his life.

"Run Serena!" He shouted at her as he parried a blow from Jedite. Nephlite sliced him from the side and he dropped to one knee. He blocked another from Zoicite, but fell to the ground when Malachite hit him with his shield. The woman cackled evilly and bent down to pick up the unconscious Prince.

"Darien!" Serena shouted, running back, tears flowing behind her. "No Darien, I want to be with you!" She dropped the locket. As it hit the ground, it flooded the scene with white light.

Serena gasped and bolted awake in bed. She touched her cheeks and realized that she had been crying. She looked around the darkened room, illuminated only by the light of distant stars. She recalled her dream and shivered slightly in the chill Mercurial air. 'That lady… and Darien. He smelled like roses,' she thought, remembering when he had carried her earlier in day. She blushed. 'What am I thinking? I can't fall for a jerk like him, especially because of a stupid dream.'

She sighed, snuggling underneath the covers. She knew she had a busy day tomorrow. Training school in Mercury was no joke and she had class with Sailor Saturn, the Sailor of death and destruction, first thing in the morning. Serena needed all the rest she could get.

* * *

"I had such a great sleep yesterday!" Darien declared loudly. "Surprisingly, it was quiet during the middle of the night… and I thank you," he finished seriously, nodding his head in appreciation at Serena. 

Serena nodded back, shocked at his sincere attitude.

"I think we were all too scared of Saturn to not sleep," Raye said, smiling.

"Who is this Saturn?" Jedite asked, reaching for the bread in the center of the table.

"Jedite!" Raye shouted and slapped his hand away. "We have to thank Serenity first. Don't you know anything about custom and etiquette?"

"Not on Mercury," Jedite replied. He rubbed his stinging hand. "You hit hard," he whined.

"Actually Raye, it would be nice if the boys knew our ways," Lita said.

"Yes," Amy agreed. "Asides from Zoicite, I doubt they know about our culture in the Silver Alliance." Zoicite blushed at the compliment. "Then, they'll need to study about Mercury's ways in particular. I'll talk to Setsuna and see what she can do about adding a culture class for the boys."

"Not another class," Jedite grumbled. "You and your education."

"WHAT?" Darien exploded. "Why only us? Mina almost got walloped yesterday… by a TREE."

"Heh, heh…" Mina chuckled embarrassedly. "Well, uhh… Geography and culture is not the same thing!"

"ARE not the same thing," Zoicite corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe," Mina said apathetically. "I'm hungry. Let's thank Serenity then eat. Saturn would not be happy if we were late."

"Dear Serenity, we thank you for your protection that enables us to eat this food," Lita recited. "We promise to protect the Lunar Kingdom and the royal Lunar family with our lives. Serenity," she finished, bowing her head.

"Serenity," the girls repeated, also bowing their heads.

"Serenity," the boys mumbled unsurely. It was a strange grace to them.

Jedite grabbed a roll of bread off the table and tore off a large chunk with his teeth. He chewed with his mouth open. Although his mouth was full to bursting, he heaped more food on top of his plate, which was soon overflowing.

"Pig," Raye muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Jedite asked her. He opened his mouth further intentionally.

"Eww!" she shrieked. "Chew with your mouth closed! I'm POSTIVE that that's part of Earth's etiquette. I'm horrified. I can't eat."

He shrugged. "More for me," he cheerfully said.

"Serena, what's wrong? You haven't eaten anything," Lita asked in concern.

'Should I tell them about the dream? It's bothering me. I really want to tell them. But Darien's here and he'll laugh at me for sure,' Serena thought.

"It's obvious," Darien laughed. "Meatball Head's on a much needed diet."

'What a stupid dream. What a stupid jerk. Still, he gave me the perfect opportunity to keep quiet. He'd be so mad if he knew he was helping me,' Serena thought.

"Yeah, I'm on a diet," Serena said aloud, voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Thanks jerk wad.' She smiled slightly.

'She better be thankful I got her out of that one,' Darien thought. 'I doubt she'd be too thrilled to tell her friends what's bothering her when I'm sitting right here. You're welcome, Meatball Head.' He chuckled softly.

Mina, who was seated next to Serena, reached over and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. "Tell me later," Mina whispered then winked.

Serena nodded, thankful for her friends' support. She stood up and stretched.

"I'm gonna go ahead first," she told the group. "No point in sitting here if I'm not gonna eat." She gave a weak smile and headed out the door.

"Wait!" Darien also stood up. "I'm coming with you. Meatball Heads can't be trusted alone." Serena's eyes flashed momentarily then she nodded and the 2 left.

"Is it safe leaving those 2 alone?" Zoicite asked.

"Very safe," Malachite said. He grinned knowingly.

* * *

Serena and Darien walked in silence, neither acknowledging the other's presence. 

'He's the one who wanted to come. Why isn't he saying anything?' Serena stole a quick glance at Darien's face. The wind tousled his dark black hair and Serena had a sudden impulse to run her hands through his mane of ebony. She blushed and quickly turned away. 'He's cute, but he's still a jerk wad.'

'Why is Meatball Head blushing like that?' Darien wondered, looking at her rosy cheeks. Actually, cheek singular. She was refusing to look at him at the moment. 'She looks like she did in my dream. Except she's not wearing the white dress. But her face…' Darien shivered, remembering the trusting look dream Serena had given him. It had made him go weak at the knees.

"What are you staring at, mattress head?' Serena snapped, turning back to face him. 'Why is he staring at me so intently? He's only making me blush more.' "Ever heard of a comb?" 'Actually, he looks really cute like that. Oh no, I'm still blushing.'

"You should be thanking me for saving you at breakfast," Darien told her. "But since you now don't like my hair, how ironic, I'm gonna annoy it outta you." He smiled impishly.

Serena's cheeks flushed in anger now. "What a creep! You're gonna help me just to hold it over my head? No thank you." She began to stomp off.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you look really cute when you're angry?" Darien said. He grinned rakishly and crossed his arms over his chest. He was attempting to pull the same acting trick on her that she had pulled on him.

She stopped in shock. She was back to being embarrassed. "Oh yeah? Well, did anyone ever tell you that you were… a jerk?"

He scoffed. "You did. Many times. Now come on tell me what's wrong, PRINCESS." He over exaggerated the last word. "I know it's still bothering you because that was a lame comeback, even for you."

"Well… I had a dream yesterday…" she began slowly.

"What did you do to her, Dare?" Nephlite asked, rounding the corner behind them. "She looks like a tomato."

"Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe, same thing," Mina said as the rest of the group showed up. "Wow! You were right. Tomato." She nodded.

Darien, however, ignored their comments. "Wait, a dream! What happened?" He asked urgently, gripping her shoulders. 'No way. Maybe it was… No. It's too coincidental!'

"Let go, jerk wad," Serena demanded, the old fire kindling in her eyes again. 'What was I gonna go and tell him for? Stupid Serena! Now he's not gonna leave me alone!'

'I'm not leaving her alone until I know what she dreamt about,' Darien vowed.

"Greetings Sailor Scouts, Generals, Prince, Princess." Sailor Saturn's floating form interrupted the squabble. "I'm sorry to inform you that I am currently in the afterlife." Jedite jumped back in surprise and fear. Malachite paled but stood his ground. Seeing his frozen facial expression, Mina took his hand. His coloring came back instantaneously.

"Can you let go now, mattress head?" Serena whispered so only Darien could hear. He shook his head defiantly, refusing to let go of her shoulders. The adamant expression in his sapphire eyes shocked her. She couldn't believe her dream was so important to him.

"Weapon master class will be postponed until I resurrect. And Mina, your father tells you to behave." Saturn's apparition back flipped and disappeared.

"Why couldn't your father have told you that home?" Nephlite hesitantly asked, scared of the answer.

"Oh, because he's dead," Mina said cheerfully.

"On Earth, this would be considered strange," Zoicite clarified. "Death is a permanent and scary thing."

"Ohh," the scouts all said in unison.

Jedite shivered.

"Cold?" Raye inquired. "I can help! Mars—"

"No! That's… okay. I like you better when you're NOT hurting me," Jedite said. "I know this is your way of showing affection, but a hug or kiss would do just fine," he finished arrogantly.

Raye's eyes burned but she managed to keep a cool exterior. She threw her arms around Jedite and nestled closer. "How's this?" she purred into his ear.

'What's she doing!' Jedite thought to himself. 'I better play it cool or I might end up falling for her. Or falling in one of her traps.' He hugged her back somewhat fearfully, unable to hear her muffled words buried in his shoulder.

He yelped in pain as fireballs flickered to life in Raye's hands. When he released her, he saw the dangerous glint in her eyes and felt himself being drawn like a moth to her flame. Before he realized it, he had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him.

Raye struggled half-heartedly to break free, but Jedite's grip was strong. Surprised at his forwardness, the fire in her hands was snuffed out. She quickly summoned it again, but Jedite was faster.

He had turned her around and twisted her arms behind her back, holding them at the wrist. Aware that she could shoot fire out of her hands, he sidestepped and faced her from the side.

"Temper, temper, Princess," he smirked at the struggling Martian.

"Argh! I'll show you! Mars Firebird Strike!" Instead of shooting fire out in a straight path, the energy that she released from her hands converged to form a bird shape consisting entirely of fire. It screeched, then flew at Raye's captor. Jedite let go quickly and began to run.

* * *

Serena had managed to avoid Darien thus far. They were currently in self-defense, a class not surprisingly taught by Raye's father. 

'This is boring,' Nephlie thought, letting his eyes wander around the wooded area. 'I wonder what she's doing right now. I hope she's thinking about me. But she didn't seem to miss me at all the last time I saw her. Should I still hold out hope for her?'

'He talks too much,' Jedite complained silently to himself. 'He talks too much, just like his daughter.' He smiled at the thought of her. 'She's cute and passionate.'

'I'm tired,' Mina thought. 'I had to wake up insanely early this morning.' She yawned and closed her eyes, leaning to the left for a headrest. She looked up to find she was resting against a mean-looking tree. 'Maybe I'll try the other side.' She then leaned to the right, placing her head on someone's shoulder. She felt an arm drape itself around her own shoulders and thought, 'At least it's not a stupid tree.'

'She looks like a little girl when she sleeps.' Malachite stared at the slumbering form under his arm. His hand began to play with her hair, gently curling the golden locks and smoothing them again.

Mina sleepily opened her eyes. "Hi Malachite," she whispered before dozing off again. He continued caressing her hair.

'Raye's father is putting everyone to sleep,' Zoicite observed. 'Except Amy. She looks like she's listening. I'd better listen too. I don't want her thinking I'm stupid like Jed.'

'I need ingredients,' Lita mused. 'I'm gonna bake Serena a super, duper chocolate cake to cheer her up. I need to remember to ask Amy about Mercurial ingredients. Maybe I could ask Zoicite. He seems smart. They're perfect for each other.' She smiled.

'Daddy, you're boring us,' Raye telepathically told her father. 'Mina's asleep.'

'I know. But can't you see they need time to figure out they're in love?' Raye's father shot back. 'Ahh, teen love.'

Raye rolled her eyes. 'You're not supposed to support this,' she complained lightly.

'That blonde with the short hair seems to like you.'

'He only has to survive 3 more blazes until he passes initiation.'

'Oh good! Wait. That's bad. Honey, I need to talk to you afterwards. Not like this, but a father to daughter talk.'

'Umm… sure dad,' Raye replied somewhat worriedly.

'Keep talking,' Serena prayed. 'The longer you talk, the longer I get to stall.'

'Stop talking!' Darien fumed. 'Can't you see she's stalling!'

"Sadly, class must come to an end," the King of Mars said. "Thank you for being such an attentive," he nodded at Amy and Zoicite, "and quiet," he nodded at the waking Venusian Princess, "audience. Raye, stay behind please."

"Ooh! Raye's staying behind," Jedite said immaturely. "Catch ya later, Phoenix." He winked at her then stood up and left.

Raye smiled then turned to her father. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Uhh… I don't know how to tell you this but…"

The woods shook as Raye's voice resounded against the trees.

"WHAT? ENGAGED?" Everyone turned, waiting for another outburst. "Who in the name of Serenity is CHAD?"

Darien took the opportunity to pull Serena away from the group. No one watched them slip away. He led her off the trail and deeper into the woods. She reluctantly submitted and followed him.

"What happened in your dream?" He looked at her intensely, not breaking off his gaze.

Serena paused then relectantly began. "There was a… woman. She had long red hair," Serena whispered. The woman's look of pure hatred still scared her.

"Was there anything else at all?" Darien earnestly asked her, gripping her shoulders again.

"Your generals… They were walking with the scouts. Suddenly they…" she paused and gulped. "It was as if they were possessed." She looked away. "They killed the girls. Darien, you're hurting me…" Tears slowly tolled down her cheeks.

Darien looked down at his hands. They had been gripping Serena's shoulders so tightly that the knuckles had turned white. He slowly relinquished his death grip and pulled the crying girl towards him.

"Shh, it's okay Meatball Head. I'm sorry. Please stop crying," he pleaded while running his hand down one of her long ponytails. His other hand muffled her sobs into his chest.

She roughly pushed him away, staring at him with blue eyes brimming with tears. "Jerk wad," she whispered. Then she began sobbing even harder and threw herself at him.

He held her and stroked her hair until she stopped crying. Only occasional sniffles could be heard from the golden head.

'I saw that woman too,' Darien thought worriedly. 'We really need to talk, Serena. Who is she? I hope you're less confused than I am.' He continued to stroke her hair.

'He smells like roses,' Serena thought again, a small smile playing on her features. 'His hand is so soothing and rhythmic I think I'm falling asleep.' She closed her eyes peacefully. 'I'll tell jerk wad the rest of the dream some other time.'

* * *

"You couldn't find them either?" Mina asked. 

"Nope. Not a trace. They could be anywhere in that darned forest," Lita said, a look of concern on her face. "I hope they're safe…" she whispered softly. She felt a hand drop comfortingly on her shoulder. Nephlite looked down at her and nodded reassuringly. She managed a weak smile.

"Chad," Raye muttered. "He could be an ugly old HOBO for all I know," she said heatedly.

"I doubt your parents were stupid enough to betroth you to a hobo, Raye," Malachie said sarcastically.

"Well it's been awhile. How do they know he's not a hobo now? I bet he never cuts his hair and he looks gross," Raye said disgustedly.

"A hobo is better than Jed anyways," Zoicite quietly said.

"Hah! Hah! Zoicite made a funny!" Jed said, smiling goofily then scowled. Amy smiled at Zoicite and the 2 secretly high-fived.

Noticing Lita's silence, Nephlite interjected, "You guys, Serena and Darien are still missing."

"Don't worry, Lita," Mina told her. She linked an arm through the taller girl's and led her towards gymnastics. "Mercury's the smartest planet around. Someone is bound to know how to track them down. We'll find them. I bet they just took a lover's rendezvous or something," Mina giggled. "Knowing Serena, she'll be back by dinnertime with a huge appetite and Darien in tow, bound and gagged." She smiled encouragingly.

"I hope you're right, Mina."

* * *

"Mom! Why are you teaching gymnastics?" Amy asked incredulously. "You... you..." she stammered. 

"I know, I know. But I couldn't refuse Serenity," the Queen of Mercury apologized. "Now dear, granted Mina's mother would have done a better job, but she wanted cosmetology."

"You mean she's teaching us next!" Mina exclaimed in horror. The Mercurial Queen nodded. Mina fainted, but of course Malachite caught her before she hit the ground.

"No," Amy mumbled, shaking her head. "She can't teach here. She can't teach me. She can't teach THIS." She buried her face in her hands, still shaking her head. Zoicite patted her back sympathetically.

"Keeping limber will help in battle," the Queen began, wasting no time. Malachite snapped to attention after hearing the word 'battle.' "This isn't really gymnastics class so much as a flexibility class," she continued. "Having supple limbs can greatly increase your fighting ability." The Queen continued talking while each person once again began drifting off.

"Chad," Raye hissed. "I hope he's ugly. It'll be that much easier when I ditch him somewhere." She began planning 'accidents' for her future husband.

"I knew she couldn't teach," Amy mumbled. "I'm going to die of embarrassment. In front of Zoi too!" She continued to hold her head in her hands.

'Sorry Molly,' Nephlite thought as he pulled Lita against him. 'She needs comfort and I like her. I doubt you remember my name anyways. You didn't send a single letter. I've been deluding myself to think you cared. Maybe in another life,' he thought then grinned at the ridiculous idea. 'Yeah, and mutant plants will attack me while I die in your arms.' He rolled his eyes.

'I hope you're safe, Princess,' Lita thought. She blushed when Nephlite pulled her towards him and didn't object when he played with her hair.

Malachite was listening intently to the Queen when he felt the bundle in his arms stir. He looked down to see Mina open her eyes.

"Is she still talking?" Mina whispered quietly in his ear. He nodded gravely at her. She nodded back at him, equally serious, then closed her eyes and faked unconsciousness again.

* * *

"That's your mom!" Jedite asked Mina, mouth open. "She's h—" 

"Shut up! I can't hear you!" Mina screamed as she clapped both hands over her ears. "La la la I'm not listening to you call my mom a MILF la la la!"

"I'm gonna like this class," Jedite grinned. "Since Raye's a taken woman now—" Raye growled. Jedite became sad at the thought that he could no longer pursue his Phoenix then quickly put up a cheery front again, joking once again. "I mean since Raye's UNHAPPY right now. Ahem." He approached the Queen of Venus, planet of love and beauty. "Hello, your Majesty," he said huskily then bowed.

She smiled at him then replied in a silken voice, "Hello." Malachite looked up at the musical voice. Zoicite stopped talking to Amy and stared at the Queen. Nephlite gaped while Jedite cleared his throat again.

"Ahem," he said, deepening his voice. "My name is Jedite."

"Yes, I know, you're in my class aren't you? You're quite handsome," the Queen replied with a wink. Mina groaned loudly. The boys suddenly turned and stared at her, not recognizing who she was. They stared at the radiant Queen again.

"Mother, you ALWAYS do this! Things go fine until you show up. I really liked him too!" Mina stomped away towards the bedrooms. "By the way, I refuse to attend this class!" she called over her shoulder as she left. "I know enough about beauty to know that it isn't everything," she growled to herself. She stopped. "Now how do I convince Malachite that?"

* * *

Serena's eyes fluttered open. 'Where am I?' she thought. He head was resting on something soft… that was moving up and down. 

"Eek!" She screamed, scrambling to her feet and backing away quickly. Darien sat up with sleepy eyes.

'Eww. I was sleeping on mattress head.' She cringed inwardly then began laughing uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" Darien asked through a yawn.

"It's just that," she laughed hard then gasped for breath, "I called you mattress head, remember? And I was," she laughed again, "sleeping on you!"

"I guess it COULD be funny," Darien admitted slowly. "…to Meatball heads," he finished with a smirk.

Serena's eyes flashed. She stood up straight, brushed off her dress, and then stroked off into the woods with a "hmph."

Darien watched her go, smiling to himself. Her hair had come out while she was sleeping and he wondered whether she realized that his insult wasn't valid anymore. Serena stopped, looked around then turned back grudgingly.

"Alright, which way leads back to the dorms?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Darien laughed at her and watched her get angry again. "I'm serious! I'm hungry now! I didn't eat breakfast remember? And we always eat lunch late and now I'm gonna miss lunch too? Get me out of here NOW!" She stomped her foot, upsetting the roots of a tree nearby.

Darien couldn't stop laughing at her scared expression as the tree's branches began to move ever so slightly. She ran to him and hid behind his back, her blue eyes peeping out from behind his arm.

"Darien," she whispered. "Make it go back to sleep."

He shrugged and folded his arms, choosing to watch her amusing behavior.

"Baka!" She hit him hard. He winced slightly, forgetting that she packed quite a punch. "I want to go BACK! NOW!"

Mina parted the hanging leaves of a tree nearby and saw Serena and Darien standing together. Darien was laughing while Serena hid behind his back, looking upset. Her face was red and she hit him at random intervals. He winced when she hit him and laughed when she didn't. Mina sighed and decided to bring Serena back for lunch. 'I was wrong,' she thought to herself as she stepped through the curtain of leaves. 'She's coming back way before dinnertime and Darien's not hurt… that much… I hope. At least he's not bound and gagged.'

"There you two are! Do you know how much you worried us?" Mina asked and put her hands on her hips. "Why did you leave like that? You missed 2 classes and Lita was especially worried about you. Princess, if this wasn't Mercury, the Moon Kingdom would be in an uproar about your disappearance right now."

"What!" Serena screeched. "You act like I went WILLINGLY. He practically KIDNAPPED me."

"You came with me!" Darien shouted back. "What are you talking bout! You willingly followed me here! Don't blame me."

"You two have some explaining to do," Mina sighed as she led them both onto the trail. "It's a good thing I heard Serena screaming at you or I never would have found you two. Thankfully though the path isn't far away. Now tell me why you two left alone?"

"It's definitely not what it looks like," Serena quickly said. "I can explain."

"Uh-huh. Well, I'm giving you a chance to explain right now. You still have to make up for the 2 classes you skipped missy," Mina said and waggled a finger at Serena.

"Say Mina… Why aren't you in class?" Serena turned to her friend with an evil grin on her face. "You can't yell at us for skipping when you're skipping yourself."

"This is the thanks I get for rescuing you two!" Mina stopped and stared at them incredulously. "No thank you Mina, no you're the best, no anything. Instead you choose to interrogate me. Personally I'm offended." She dramatically put a hand on her chest and stared at Serena as if waiting for an apology. Serena giggled.

"You're so silly, Mina," Serena said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dorms. "Let's all explain at lunch, okay?" The two girls chatted animatedly, walking together.

"Hello! What about me?" Darien asked as he rushed to catch up to them.

"You're on probation mister," Mina said authoritatively. "For abduction of the Princess."

"WHAT! You've gotta be kidding me," Darien mumbled. "I already told you—"

"Shush, villain!" Serena turned and scowled at him. "Mina, do you think you could put him in chains? It makes us look scarier when we come back."

"Sure thing!" Mina said happily. "Venus love chain encircle!" The golden chain extended from her hand and wrapped itself around Darien tightly. She pulled it and led him behind her as she walked and talked to Serena. "Anyways, you'll never guess whose teaching gymnastics and cosmetology…"

* * *

A/N: I didn't like this chapter so much. It was too romantic and not as funny as I was aiming for. Well I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing this. Thanks again for reviewing, **renegade-452**. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry it's so short.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

* * *

Love and Loss

Ch 3

* * *

"But it's only our first weekend! We have to go to a ball ALREADY!" Serena screeched. "This is not fair. Especially the SAME ball." She shot a glare at her ebony haired companion. 

"Relax Meatball Head, it should be fun," Darien joked lightly. However, his heart wasn't in it. He groaned inwardly at the thought of having to dress up and stand around while women admired him.

Raye hurried into the dining room, skidding to a stop. She held a letter in her hands, waving it around frantically. "Look guys! A letter from Chad!"

"Why are you so exited over a stupid letter?" Jedite asked her. He sneered in disgust at the piece of paper. "What happened to 'I'm going to marry a hobo?'" Jed's hostility stemmed from pure jealousy. He couldn't believe she was going to get so worked up over a letter from someone she didn't even know.

Raye ignored him and proceeded to read the letter aloud. "Dear Raye, I have heard that there will be a ball this weekend. He probably sent the letter before today I guess," she mused aloud then continued reading. "I look forward to meeting you there so dress extra nice. The nerve of him!" She slammed the paper down on her thigh and looked up with a furious gaze.

"Is that it?" Mina asked curiously, straining to look at the paper still clutched tightly in her friend's hands. Raye nodded furiously. "I have the perfect dress you can wear, Raye!" Mina squealed excitedly. "It's so cute. It's this little red dress that is just adorable."

"No thanks Mina, I prefer to wear clothes that leave something to the imagination," Raye said, rolling her eyes. "I'll leave the skimpy bikinis to you." Mina shrugged, unfazed.

"Oh well. More for me!" She exclaimed happily.

"No, Mina, actually, LESS for you," Zoicite clarified. Amy giggled quietly as she viewed Mina's blank expression.

"We will all be required to attend this ball, as you all know," Malachite said calmly, addressing his generals. They nodded in response. "I want you to show up in uniform. Not your training clothes, but the grey one of a full fledged member of the Prince's Guard." They nodded again.

"Oh come on Malachite, there's no threat. There's no enemy even! Serenity recalled Uranus and Neptune and that's a pretty drastic thing for Mom," Serena said. "She trusts those two with her life and she knows they're extremely dangerous. If she's taken them off guard duty then that means that there's no need to worry. Don't get all stiff." Malachite stared at her stoically, not uttering a word.

"I think that's impossible," Nephlite joked. "He's always been stiff as a board." The others laughed at him. Seemingly unaffected, Malachite simply stood and stared condescendingly at his auburn-haired friend. Nephlite, somewhat unnerved at his cool gaze, looked away and chuckled nervously. He turned his attention to Lita. "So Princess, are you going to the ball?"

"Yeah, I don't think I've got a choice," she complained. "Dad hates for me to be around any male, yet he always pressures me to go to these stupid things. I could never understand why."

"Don't touch your partner while dancing!" the King shouted as he momentarily stuck his head in the doorway. Then he disappeared as quickly as he came. His daughter sighed and shook her head.

"Will you be needing an escort?" Nephlite asked slyly. "I can be of assistance." He looked at her, eyes laughing flirtatiously. He had hoped to invoke a blush, but was pleasantly surprised when she nodded calmly. 'It seems she's gotten over her initial shyness of me,' he thought. 'I'm impressed.'

"Oh yeah, Nephlite, I forgot. There's a letter for you too," Raye said. She handed him an unopened letter still sitting in its envelope. "Who's it from?" She curiously craned her neck to see the return address on the envelope now in his hands.

"Molly," he whispered softly. The other males looked up sharply, recognizing the name. They glanced at each other worriedly.

"How do you think this is gonna affect him and Lita?" Jedite whispered to his Prince.

"Badly," Darien whispered back. "Obviously." Zoicite and Malachite pursed their lips together, waiting for him to open the envelope.

"Molly? Hey I know her!" Serena quickly stood up from her seated position at the table and joined the huddled group of people. "What's she got to say to YOU? Not that you're a bad person or anything," she hastily added, "but I didn't even know you two knew each other." Darien put a hand her shoulder, attracting her attention. She looked at him and he shook his head in warning. Serena heeded his advice and nodded, suppressing her questions.

By now, Lita was as curious as the rest of the group to know who this 'Molly' was and what business she had writing to Nephlite. 'I guess we're not officially together,' she thought sadly. 'But we definitely could have ended up together, unless this girl is something to Nephlite that I hope she's not.'

He slowly broke the seal on the envelope and took out the piece of paper inside. Gulping, he unfolded the letter and began to read. "Dear Nephlite, I'm sorry I haven't written you in so long. Things have been crazy over here. We moved! When you come back to visit Earth, come to the new address on this envelope. I heard you were having a ball though and guess what? Mom says I can come! I also heard you were going to training school with Serena. Tell her I said hi and that I really miss her. Looking forward to seeing you soon, Molly." He slowly put down the letter and stared at Lita in disbelief. "She's coming Lita," he whispered.

* * *

"Lita? You okay?" Serena tentatively asked, approaching the tall brunette. She was sitting in the woods in a meditative pose. However, her eyes were open and she gazed at the ground sadly. 

"Huh? Oh yeah, I couldn't be better!" Lita replied with fake enthusiasm. "I mean, I'm happy for Nephlite. He'll finally get to be with the girl he loves," her voice faltered and trailed off. "Then why do I feel like this?" Lita implored Serena. Her eyes brimmed with tears. "We're not even together! I was stupid to think he liked me," she sniffed, brushing her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Oh Lita, anyone would have to be blind to not see that he likes you," Serena said encouragingly. She sat down next to her friend and took her hand. "I know Molly. She's a sweet girl and I'm sure you'd like her if you gave her a chance." Lita glared at Serena. "Or not," she mumbled. "But all I'm saying is that you have to trust Nephlite. In the end, the decision is up to him. I know he looks like your old boyfriend." Serena rolled her eyes. "But I also know from experience that he's not the only one." She teasingly poked Lita in the ribs.

The Princess of Jupiter smiled in spite of herself. "Yeah, you're right. I'm not gonna sit in the forest and cry over one boy. Thanks Serena." She hugged the smaller girl, crushing her in an embrace.

"Oof! You're… welcome… Lita!" Serena gasped. "Now could you… maybe… let me… go? I, huff, can't… BREATHE!"

"Oh sorry," Lita apologized, grinning embarrassedly. "I'll join you in a minute Serena. Why don't you go prepare for the ball tonight?"

"Okay. Make sure you come back though, or else Ill have to sic Mina on you." Serena narrowed her eyes menacingly then skipped through the foliage back towards the dorms. Lita smiled again.

'She always cheers me up,' she thought. 'I can't say I'm fine, but I better get back. I definitely don't want Mina coming out to get me.' Lita stood up and brushed off the dirt and leaves on her sweats. She looked up and saw a figure heading straight towards her. 'I wonder who he is.'

"Excuse me Miss, but I seem to be lost," the man said, head bent over a map. Lita could see the words Mercury on the bottom. However, the map was turned upside-down. "I'm looking for the Palace of Mercury?" He looked up at her.

Both pair of eyes stared at each other in shock.

'No way! My old boyfriend! What's he doing here!'

* * *

"Argh! Mina, you've been in that stupid closet since forever! If you don't come out, how is Malachite supposed to ask you to the ball?" Raye asked through a closed door. She knocked persistently. "Besides, I thought you already had a dress. What are you looking for?" 

Mina opened the door and stuck her head out. "I do have the dress. But I'm not sure I want to wear it. I'm trying on my whole closet now, just to make sure I want to wear that one." Raye groaned and smacked herself on the forehead.

"Your closet is huge! How do you expect to be prepared in time at this rate? I'm coming in." Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door inwards and stepped inside the room. There were dresses everywhere. They littered the floor and shelves and seemed to be placed everywhere except on their hangers. "Sheesh, you're a pig," Raye muttered under her breath.

"No time to talk! Tell me which dress I should wear!" Mina urgently asked her friend. "My life could depend on this!" She clasped her hands in front of her. "Tonight, some lucky man might catch my attention and we'll live our lives in blissful peace." Her gaze was directed towards the high ceiling of her vast closet, but her eyes seemed to see the heavens. "The stars have said so, and so it will be." With a resolute nod of her head, she spun quickly and hurriedly threw dresses right and left, often pelting the unlucky Princess of Mars.

"MINA! STOP!" Raye's patience had reached its limit and her eyes glinted dangerously. She accidentally scorched a dress that hit her in the face. "Umm… oops? This dress is kinda ruined now," she muttered. "But wait, what happened to Malachite?" she asked curiously. Mina didn't look up but continued to rummage through her closet until she finally stood up, triumphant grin on her face.

"Found it!" The blonde held a small box in her hands.

"What is that?" Raye asked suspiciously.

"My earrings," Mina simply explained, taking off the lid and fastening the topaz to her ears. "A gift from my father. I just had to wear it tonight." She examined her reflection in the mirror. "What do you think? Too much? Yeah, it's too much," she answered, not waiting for Raye's reply. She quickly unfastened them and set them back in the box. "Now where's my dress?" she muttered to herself. Raye rolled her eyes and prepared to yell at her friend again.

* * *

"I feel strong in these uniforms," Jedite said, fastening a button on his generals' attire. A boyish grin was on his lips. "I'm glad Mal let us wear it tonight. He's usually so stiff about everything." 

Nephlite laughed. "He was stiff about this too." His eyes sparkled. Ever since the news of Molly's arrival that morning, he had acted like he was on Cloud 9. "I wonder where he is anyways?" 'Gotta stop thinking about Molly,' he chastised himself.

"Come to think of it, both him and Lita are missing," Darien commented, looking up from his book.

"How can you be reading, Dare?" Jedite asked, mouth open. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to escort our esteemed Moon Princess to the ball?" He smirked openly.

"What makes you think I'm going with her?" Darien asked heatedly, setting down his book. "She doesn't want to talk to me, much less accompany me to a ball." He rolled his eyes for show. 'But I want to talk to her,' he thought. 'We haven't really discussed that dream yet. I didn't tell her what happened in MY dream.'

Nephlite paled, lost in thought. Any mention of Lita always made him feel guilty, provoking a belated reaction. 'Have I been leading her on all this time?' He asked himself. 'I hope not. I didn't mean to. I really thought I had gotten over Molly.' He stared at his reflection in the mirror then suddenly remembered that he already asked Lita to the ball. He groaned loudly.

"Is it possible to take back your offer once you've already asked a girl to a ball?" He asked his friends hopefully. Zoicite looked at him in disbelief. He shook his head.

"You should learn to look before you leap," he told Nephlite.

"Well I didn't know Molly was coming today! Darn Raye, if only she would have given me the letter sooner," Nephlite said.

"Hey! You leave Raye out of this!" Jedite said, turning quickly to his companion. "Don't blame her because you put yourself in this mess." He faced the mirror again, fixing his hair once more. Nephlite opened his mouth to argue, but, realizing that Jedite was right, closed it again. He nodded at his friend.

'This is proving to be a miserable evening,' he thought. "Honestly though," he asked, pushing his romantic dilemma to the back of his mind, "where do you think Mal went?"

* * *

Malachite stood nervously in front a massive wooden door. He straightened his uniform and knocked loudly. 

"Yes?" A female voice carried out from the other side. However, the door still remained closed.

"I was wondering if you'd care to go to the ball with me later," he asked. When there was no answer, he began to get worried and started to leave when the door opened.

"Why, I'd love to go with you," the Queen of Venus said, smiling.

* * *

"Amy? Can you help me pick out a dress?" Serena asked. She waited for a reply from the closed door. Hearing nothing, she knocked again, more persistently this time. "Are you there?" She still heard nothing. "It's Serena, Amy." Serena waited for a while longer, tapping her foot impatiently. "Okay, ready or not here I come!" She pushed open the door to reveal Amy crumpled in a heap on the floor. "Dear Serenity!" She rushed to over to her friend. "Wake up! Are you okay?" The blue-haired girl's eyes still didn't open. "HELP!" Serena screamed. "Something's wrong with Amy!"

* * *

Back on Earth, a woman with long red hair was preparing to go the ball on Mercury. With one last glance in the mirror, she stepped out the door to join the throng of people waiting in line to use the transporter. She smiled maliciously. 'Tonight, Prince Darien, you shall be mine.'

* * *

A/N: You like? You hate? I know it's short but due to writer's block it's the best I could come up with. Insomnia led to the creation of the last two chapters. This chapter is actually just to make the events move. It was too slow for me before so this will hopefully fix that problem. 

**renegade-452** - Thank you so much for continually reviewing. Know that it is appreciated greatly. You seem to like both the humor and romance in my story and I want your opinion on which one you'd like more of.

**lady dove of the green eyes** – I'm really glad I made someone laugh. I was afraid that my sense of humor was corny and stereotypical.

**Shrouded Mist** – I feel so honored to be on your list of favorite authors and stories. I hope that you like the way this story is progressing.

Once again guys, thanks so much for the reviews! Keep them coming! I don't usually like to update unless I get at least a new review first. Then again, I have no clue how long this writer's block is planning on lasting. Does someone by any chance happen to know the name of Lita's famous old boyfriend?


	4. Chapter 4

Love and Loss

Ch 4

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long! Things have been hectic. I was planning on making this chapter longer but I have no time so from now on the chapters will be short. This has been on my drawer since forever and I'm finally publicizing it. It's kind of a useless chapter, meant only for humor. It's a girlfight! I hope you enjoy. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

* * *

"You go to the ball," Zoicite said. 

"Are you sure?" Mina asked doubtfully. "I feel bad that you're not going. I could stay and watch her, if you like." 'I'm not too keen on going myself,' she added silently.

"I have no reason to go if Amy's not going," he stated simply.

"Oh, sure, admit your feelings when the girl's unconscious," Jedite snickered. Zoicite blushed profusely.

"For your information," he snapped, "she was my date." The others stared at him open-mouthed.

"Score for Zoicite!" Jedite whooped joyfully. Nephlite, however, did not join his friend's enthusiasm. He had a mixed sense of dread thinking about his own date.

"How are we going to explain a missing Princess though?" Serena asked. She was sitting by the side of Amy's bed, holding her pale hand. "Especially considering that this is her planet after all and the majority of guests tonight will be her people." Everyone pondered this in silence.

"I congratulate you, Meatball Head," Darien said, breaking the silence. "That's the most sense you've made since we've met."

"You haven't known me very long then," Serena replied. She looked at him with worried eyes. "Can we please continue this later? I don't argue with jerk wads and mattress heads while my friends are unconscious." She looked back at Amy's still form, not relinquishing her grip on the girl's hand.

"Hey, it's okay," Darien reassured her. "I was trying to make you relax a little bit, that's all." She still kept her gaze on Amy's face. "Zoi said he'd stay. If a missing Mercurial Princess could raise suspicions, imagine everyone's reaction when the Moon Princess doesn't show up." He placed both hands on her shoulders and gently helped her to her feet. "You know I'm right. Now come on, I'll escort you to the ballroom." Serena allowed him to lead her away from the bed and out the door. She nodded dumbly at his offer, unknowingly accepting him as her date.

"Lita's still missing too," Mina said. "Has anyone seen her?"

"Serena went to talk to her this morning after… you know…" Raye's voice trailed off and she looked away, not facing Nephlite. He mentally hit himself, knowing that her friends had a right to be mad at him. He would simply have to find her and accompany her to the dance.

"I'll find her," he offered, turning to the door. "After all, she IS my date."

"Wait, what about Molly?" Jedite asked. Nephlite winced at the mention of her name and halted.

"I'll deal with that later," he replied then left before he could be questioned further.

"Remember to look for Malachite too," Zoicite reminded the group. Mina snorted in disdain. All eyes turned to her questioningly.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Why aren't you going with him?" Raye asked her friend suspiciously. "You always end up falling into his arms anyways," she finished with a mocking smile on her face. "Oh Malachite, catch me! The big, scary-looking tree is waving its branches at me!"

"Whatever Raye," Mina said, dismissing her comment with a wave of her gloved hand. "At least I don't flirt when I'm taken, especially with Mr. Ow-You-Hit-Hard. Besides," she continued with her nose in the air, "Malachite and I don't flirt and we never have."

"In my defense, I only said that once!" Jedite interjected. When met with glares from both girls, he meekly smiled. "I'm sorry, please continue with your important and completely truthful conversation."

"Oh yeah! You wanna take this outside, Miss I-Lost-My-Boyfriend-to-My-Mom!" Raye's eyes burned and she had balled up one of her hands into a fist.

"Hah! You couldn't take me if you tried!" Mina retorted, eyes sparkling dangerously. He index finger pointed at Raye. "As leader of the inner scouts, I'm MUCH more powerful than you! You don't stand a chance!"

"Remember, you're only leader by name," Raye spat. "You spend more time in front of the mirror than you do on the training grounds."

"At least I have something to show for both. I'm prettier AND better trained than you," Mina said calmly. She smiled condescendingly. "Oh, but don't feel bad. I'm sure your hobo husband will take care of you just fine. You can guard your cardboard box from stray cats and dogs until he comes home, still jobless and without dinner. But you're both lucky because you toasted those strays! You now have dinner, already cooked! That's really good, because I doubt you upgraded your cardboard box home to include a stove." She smiled sweetly. A long pause ensued in which all eyes were on Mina, besides Raye's.

"Oh, you're done?" Raye asked, looking up from filing her nails.

"Where'd that file come from?" Jedite asked stupidly. Raye rolled her eyes and patted him on the back.

"Someday you might understand the secrets of a scout (A/N: or the concept of an anime)," Raye sighed. Everyone in the room shuddered, picturing Jedite in a Sailor Scout uniform.

"Uhh… are you two still arguing?" Jedite asked yet another stupid question. It surprised him when Raye shook her head and laughed.

"I feel kind of bad for arguing with her actually," Raye said, shaking her had again. "It makes me really sad that she couldn't confide in me enough to tell me that she was JEALOUS. Yeah, can you believe that? Because while I had TWO guys, she had one… who ended up falling for her mom anyways. Then, she spent all that time in front of the mirror trying to make her feel better about herself. Sad, really. She felt overshadowed by my striking form and exotic eyes. I just wish I could have helped her before it came to this. She's just… jealous." Raye shook her head yet again. "That hobo scenario… obviously planned. No way she could make that up on the spot. I mean, come on, how is a princess capable of knowing so much about a hobo's lifestyle? Unless she had a rough childhood, if you know what I mean. After all, she mysteriously just APPEARED when we were 7, while the rest of us had been together since we were in diapers. Oh, that's right! She was STILL in diapers!" Raye laughed loudly and obnoxiously. "So tell me Mina," Raye said, turning to the blonde. "Where'd you get the diapers from anyways? Stole them? Skinned the stray animals you shot?"

"Oh dear. You mean no one ever told you? I used them as diapers and then gave them to you as dresses," she said, smiling unctuously. Raye smiled back at her, equally wide and equally sarcastic. No one spoke.

"This is good. Go on," Jedite finally said, munching on his popcorn. Everyone looked at him. He had mysteriously pulled out a chair, 3D glasses, popcorn, and a drink. "Power of a guardian, yeah?" He smiled quirkily. "Come on, this is good stuff, guys!"

Both Mina and Raye turned on him angrily, united against a common enemy. All three were entangled in a brawl where occasional cries of pain could be heard. They all came from Jedite.

Zoicite shook his head. 'Wake up soon, Amy. If not for your kingdom, then for me. I can't stand their fighting any longer and I miss your smile,' he thought to himself, bringing her limp hand up to his cheek.

* * *

A/N: Finally! I promise to try to update more now. Thanks to all my readers, especially renegade. I really appreciate that email.. Well, until the next chapter guys. 


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